World's top two to contest Roland Garros finals

NEWS ARTICLE

The world's top two players will contest both Friday's Men's Singles and Women's Singles finals in the Roland Garros Masters Series event at the French Open.

Thursday's Men's Singles semifinals saw defending champion Shingo Kunieda (JPN) and Ronald Vink (NED) both hit an impressive 40 winners apiece during their match, but it was world No 1 Kunieda who won the points that mattered as he wrapped up 76(5) 62 win in an hour and 15 minutes.

In the other semifinal world No 2 Robin Ammerlaan (NED) beat Martin Legner (AUT) 63 63 in a little over an hour to set up a rematch of last year's final against Kunieda.

In the Women's Singles semifinals, last year's runner-up Florence Gravellier (FRA) hit 32 winners compared to the 29 that came from the racket of her opponent Korie Homan (NED). However, world No 2 Homan had a total of 22 break point opportunities during the match and converted the eight that mattered to give her a 64 64 victory and a place in the final against her compatriot and world No 1 Esther Vergeer.

Defendong champion Vergeer was in incredible form in her first set against first-time Roland Garros semifinalist Aniek Van Koot (NED), wrapping up the first set in just 17 minutes, with Van Koot winning a total of just 11 points in seven games. The second set proved somewhat more difficult for Vergeer, but the result was still the same as the top seed put the seal on a 61 61 victory in less than 45 minutes.

Kunieda is, in fact, the only non-Dutch player to figure in either the singles finals or the doubles finals after second seeds Homan and Sharon Walraven (NED) edged through their Women's Doubles semifinal against Gravellier and Lucy Shuker (GBR) 75 64.

Homan and Walraven will now face top seeds Jiske Griffioen and Vergeer in the final.

All four of Friday's wheelchair finals will take place on Court 7 at Roland Garros, starting with the Men's Singles final, which is scheduled to get underway at 11.00 local Paris time (9.00 GMT).